Virtual Museum of the Vietnam War

Douglas A-1H "Skyraider"

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History of development

The Douglas Skyraider was designed in the last days of World War II to meet
the requirements for a carrier-based dive/torpedo bomber to succeed such
airplanes as Curtis Helldiver or Grumman Avenger. The prototype of the new
machine, constructed by the famed Ed Heinemann was ordered on the 6th of June
1944 under the designation XBT2D-1. It's first flight was conducted on 18th of
March 1945 and in April of the same year the US Navy begun to test the new
design. In December 1946 the tests were finished and the new aircraft went into
production under the designation AD-1.

AD Skyraider was the main attack aircraft of the US Navy after World War II,
and was modified many times (versions from AD-1 to AD-7), it could also carry
almost every external weapon in the US inventory, including torpedoes and even
nuclear bombs. There was also the AD-5 variant, in which two pilots sat
side-by-side, and the fuselage had enough room for cargo, ten passengers or
four stretcher patients.

During the Korean War the Skyraiders performed their duties very well,
serving the US Navy and the Marines.

In 1962 the designations of all types of aircraft used by US Navy were
changed to become part of the United States Tri-Service aircraft designation
system. From that moment on all variants of the AD family changed their
designations to A-1. Main variants of the Skyraider are shown in the table
below:

Old designation

New designation

Description

AD-1

First variant of the aircraft

AD-1Q

Electronic Counter-Measures (ECM) variant. The so-called "Q-bird".
Additional electronic equipment and a place for an additional crew
member in the rear fuselage

ECM variant. Due to modular structure, this variant was very
versatile, also known as "12 in 1"

AD-5W

EA-1E

Early warning variant, with radar under the fuselage

AD-5S

Anti-submarine variant, one prototype was built

AD-6

A-1H

Single-seated attack variant, development of the nuclear-capable
AD-4B. Variant in production parallel to the AD-5

AD-7

A-1J

Further development of the AD-6, with strengthened motor and landing
gear

As the war in Vietnam begun, the Skyraider was actually obsolete, the future
belonging to jet-powered aircraft. Nevertheless the Skyraiders of the US Navy
(also called Able Dogs from the old AD designation) conducted strike missions,
for which they were designed, over both South and North Vietnam. When the US
Navy begun to withdraw the Skyraiders and replace them with the Douglas A-4
Skyhawk, the US Air Force expressed its interest in the older machine.
Initially it was meant to provide the air force of Republic of Vietnam (VNAF)
with a close support aircraft with the capability to carry a crew of two, the
Vietnamese pilot and the American "Advisor". The availability of "wide face"
double-seated Skyraiders gave an opportunity to use those cheap and simple to
maintain machines, which were at the same time very effective against lightly
armed opponent. Later the USAF also adopted the single-seated variant.

The USAF introduced several significant modifications in its airplanes after
acquiring them from the Navy. The most important was the installation of the
ejection seat with a tractor rocket, also known as the "Yankee seat" enabling
the pilot to bail out at low speed, low altitude and unusual aircraft stance.
Additionally the tail wheel got bigger with a pneumatic tire, landing lights
were added as well as additional radios for communication with the troops on
the ground. After some time the cast main landing gear wheels were usually
exchanged to stamped sheet metal ones, due to problems with cracking of the
cast wheels.

A special variant of the close air support mission was the search and rescue
mission, in which the Skyraider was to escort the rescue helicopters in their
effort to extract the shot down airmen. In such a mission, the Skyraiders,
callsign "Sandy", were unequalled by other aircraft. Sandys, sometimes also
called "SPAD" (from a popular WWI fighter type), were able to fly slowly to
improve the accuracy and also were able to stay on target longer than any
comparable jet aircraft of that time, and with a huge weapon load which allowed
for long work over the site where the downed airman was.

After the Skyraider was withdrawn from service, which happened directly
after withdrawal of the American forces from Vietnam in 1972, for a long time
there was no aircraft capable of replacing it. Just after the USAF introduced
the A-10 Thunderbolt II in it's inventory it regained the "low and slow"
capability.